Westerly man charged with DUI after early morning crash on Post Road

Westerly man charged with DUI after early morning crash on Post Road

WESTERLY — A local man is facing charges after the police said he crashed head-on into a tree along Route 1 while driving under the influence early Tuesday.

The man, Joseph Turano, 24, of 131 Cross St., Westerly, was charged with driving under the influence and failure to submit to a chemical test. He was also cited with a laned roadway violation and operating a motor vehicle without proper insurance, court records show.

According to a police report, officers and emergency personnel were called to 11 Post Road shortly before 3 a.m. with reports of a 2008 Suburu Legacy striking a tree. Turano was not injured, the police said, and no one else was involved.

A preliminary investigation found that Turano had been at the 7-Eleven store on Post Road and exited the lot to make a left turn onto Route 1 South. He crossed the multilane portion of the road and proceeded to go off the side of the roadway, hitting a tree in the buffer between Route 1, Route 78, and the parking lot at Ocean State Job Lot.

Officers arrived and determined that Turano was showing signs of intoxication, according to Westerly Police Lt. Robert Warner. He was given a field sobriety test and taken into custody. At the police station, Warner refused a breathalyzer test, the police said.

Court records showed that Turano was released pending arraignment in Fourth Division District Court.